The Iron Age 1904-06-23: Vol 73 Iss 25

Oe oe Oe _ Cats & owmege, A Review of the Hardware, Iron, Madina and Metal Trades. Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co,., 232-238 William St., Ne % Vol. 73:° No. 25. New York, Thursday, June 2}, 1904. $8 OO a Year, including Po Single Copies, 15 Cents. oC. BLANKS are preferred by pa- triotic boys~ because <» they are » san Fire Noise (Makers. Every dealer sells U. M. C. blanks. Look for the *‘ U’’ on the heads of the rim fires Reading. Matter Contents. ...... page 64 Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ‘‘ 165 Classified List of Advertisers:... Advertising and Subscription Rates ‘‘ THE BRISTOL COMPANY, and the U. M. C. on the center fires, Waterbury, Conn. Bristol’s Recording THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE Co, Instruments. Agency Depot Nor Pignd Blecericliy- "|| New York Gity BRIDGEPORT, CT .. gan Feassises, Oal: Silver Medal, Paris oo rena All Ranges, Low and Guar- anteed. Send for roe Direalocs” =I — Eee coca CAHALL BOILERS »*=™ a Eo TURNBUCKLES, 3 . 2 — : Gapewell Horse Nails : c Branch Office, 11 , New York. | Cleveland City Forge and Iron Co., = Cleveland. 0. . > o> ae. - 4 WN zKuEs. NEW YORK, Branches: PORTLAND, ORE. = waaay try BROS. 2 PHILADELPHIA, BUFFALO, 7 ee . y CHICAGO, DETROIT, BALTIMORE, G5 Gi Kem Ave. ; 8. Louis, CINCINNATI, NEW ORLEANS, u Brooklyn, E.D.,N.Y < BOSTON, SAN FRANCISCO, DENVER, > J if a mF 2 y, THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL CO., Hartford, Conn. BESSEMER PIG Phile, . PILLING & CRANE, «xo! a eee ys Et PLAIN PATTERN REGULAR WEAD. Et Time and Steam cost Leaky steam joints waste money. them fast. | JENKINS *"9O© PACKING ‘< An old acquaintance which is absolutely guaranteed, saves both. Insist on having packing stamped with Trade Mark as shown in the cut if you would have the genuine. e , JENKINS BROS. (Se m pe fs d e m) New York, | Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, _ London. MB Sai, act t swe” “Cwmedn” Gold Rolled Steel ‘wt, Drawing = Stam amin THE AMERICAN TUBE o\ ee com (Water and Rail Delivery) BeiperPro pace 2 MAGNOLIA METAL. Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. Pac-Simile of Bar. Beware of LImitations. r OLIA METAL C0... . — Geiangn, Pechar ll a Pittbarg aga Phlagelphia LT. manafictare | —_—-—-—— See Page 24. | 4 THE IRON mye BRASS) = High Grade meer COPPER; =, GERMAN {s*#= SILVER WIRE gen ete GATE A rrapsaal Sareea TY 3 Lock HAVEN, Pa. SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER TUBING. BRAZED BRASS AND BRONZE TUBING. : ::::::: Randolph-Clowes C0. WATERBURY BRASS C0. Main Office and Mill, WATERBURY, CONN. MANUFACTURERS OF SHEET BRASS & COPPER. BRAZED BRASS & COPPER TUBES. SEAMLESS BRASS & COPPER TUBES TO 36 IN. DIAM. WATERBURY, CONN. Metal C0., BRIDGEPORT, GONN. New York Office, 258 Broadway, Postal High Tensile Strength. Telegraph Building, Room 715. - Chicago Office, 602 Fisher Bldg. Bronze and Aluminum Alloys. Write Us. ‘Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., LA SALLE, ILLINOIS. SMELTERS OF SPELTER AND MANUFACTURERS OF SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID. Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use. Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Stove and Washboard Blanks. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. BRASS Faszs J RYAN & C0, ied >) Nay SRI an pan Bras a ae pti ecm “oe Aluminum s CASTINGS FOUNDERS ~- FINISHERS. ww. G&G ROWEZLL Co., HENDRICKS BROTHERS PROPRIETORS OF THE Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, MANUFACTURERS OF Brasiers’ Bolt and Sheathing COPPER, COPrPwER WiIiRE AND RIV BDWS, | Trermodynamics and Chemistry. nonmathematical treatise for chemists 2:1 Importers and Dealers in Ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, ete. 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. 99 John St., New York. Providence, R. I. Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Automobile Castings a Specialty. Bridgeport, Conn. THE PLUME & Atwood MF6, Co., MANUFACTURERS OF Sheet and Roll Brass WiRE PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER RIVETS AND BURRS. Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kere- sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. LOW BRASS. SHEET BRONZE.| 29 murray sT., NEW YORK. 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON. 199 LAKE ST., CHICAGO, ROLLING MILL : FACTORIES ¢ THOMASTON, CONN, WATERBURY, CONN, SCOVILL MFG. CO., MANUFACTURERS OF BRASS, GERMAN SILVER Sheets, Rolis, Wire Rods, Bolts and Tubes, Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods. Special Brass Goods to Order. FACTORIES: WATERBUR?, CONN. Depots CHICAGO, BOSTON. NEW YORK, JOHN DAVOL & SONS, DEALERS IN COPPER, TIN, SPELTER, LEAD, ANTIMONY. 100 John Street, New York. Artur T. Rutter & Co 256 Broadway, NEW YORKA. Small tubing in Brass, Copper, Steel, Aluminum, German Silver, &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ger- man Silver. Copper, Brass and German Silver Wire. Brazed and Seamless Brass and Copper Tube. Copper and Brass Rod. THE BRIDGEPORT BRASS 6O,, BRIDGEPORT, CONN. 19 Murray St., New York. 85-87 Pearl St., Boston. 17 N. 7th St., Philadelphia. MANUFACTURERS OF meas SHEET ano = 4 TUBING Copper | WIRE. Lamp Geeds of all Kinds. BRASS AND COPPER GOODS la Great Varieties. A students of chemistry. By P. Duhem. _ thorized translation by oe K. Bu 445 pages, 140 figures. Cloth........... " "0 Peventnbn Santé Wittame @e., £96 Willian 61,,8.7- hia. ey HE IRON AGE THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 1904. The Gleason 15-Inch Shearing Cut Bevel Gear Planer. A new type of bevel gear planer, capable of cutting bevel and miter gears up to a diameter of 15 inches, has recently been patented by the Gleason Works, Rochester, N. Y. The accompanying half-tone, Fig. 1, gives a gen- eral view of the machine, and Fig. 2 shows its construc- tion in more detail. A peculiarity of the machine is that it removes the metal with a shearing cut, this being taken with the side of the cutting tool, as shown in Fig. 3. Bevel gears having a ratio of 5 to 1 can be cut pro- viding the larger gear is not more than 15 inches in diam- following a path conforming to the contour of the tooth, is obtained by rolling and advancing the arm on which the tool carriage reciprocates. This movement is controlled by a rotary former or positive motion cam, the character of which may be seen in Fig. 1. The follower is located on the outside face of qa segmental bevel gear, C, Fig. 2, pivoted on the rock shaft, about which the tool carriage arm is rotated. This segmental gear is connected to the shaft during the cutting of the upper face of the tooth. The symmetrical but opposite movement required for the lower face is obtained by a second segmental gear, D, which is oscillated in the opposite direction from the first by an intermediate bevel gear, FE. During the cut- Fig. 1.—General View of the Machine, Showing Also the Cone Distance Gauge and Various Other Accessories. eter, and steel gears of three diametral pitch can be cut to good advantage. When the machine is in operation the gear blank is held stationary while the tool is cutting and is rotated by an indexing mechanism at the completion of the cut- ting of one side of each tooth. The first operation con- sists in the taking of a “ stocking” cut completely around the blank with a YV-tool of the form shown in Fig. 4. The tool is then changed for an upper cut tool, and one side of each tooth is cut during a second revolution of the blank. The same is repeated during a third revolution, using an undercut tool, which forms the opposite side of each tooth and completes the gear. The effect of a shear- ing cut is obtained by the tool rolling as it advances into the work. As a result, the profile of the teeth in the gear is cut perfectly smooth and no tool marks show. The peculiar motion of feeding the tool into the work, E ting of the lower face of the teeth the segment D is con- nected to the shaft of the arm and C disconnected from it, and, vice versa, C is connected and D is disconnected during the cutting of the upper face of the tooth. It is understood, of course, that the movement of the arm is imparted at one end in such a manner that the line of action of the tool at all times converges to a common center coincident with the point at which the cone lines of the gear blank intersect. The feeding of the tool is ac- complished by turning the frame supporting the cutting mechanism horizontally about the center O. The tool having advanced to its full depth, the feeding mechanism encounters an adjustable stop, F, Fig. 2, the tool is quick- ly withdrawn, and the indexing mechanism is set in mo- tion, revolving the gear blank to present the next tooth to be cut. The reciprocating of the tool carriage is accom- plished through a crank and connecting rod mechanism, oe 3 my i ) Pee 7 i mI iy “4 fy. 2 THE IRON AGE. L, Fig. 2, the length of stroke being variable to suit the width of face of the blank which is being cut. The operation of cutting a gear in this machine is briefly as follows: The gear to be planed, G, Fig. 2, is June 23, i904 the machine to which the cutting edges of the finishing tools always converge. As an aid in placing the gear blank, a cone distance gauge is furnished, shown in Fig 5, and also to be seen on the floor in front of the machine, yy MAND WHEEL g FORMER U°PER CUT TOOL UNDER CUT TOOL RMA N SS S GQ NSS TOCKING CUT TOOL UX MW her THE (RON AGE Fig. 3.—Section of the Rocker Arm, Showing the Position of the Tool in Cutting. mounted on the work mandre] and carefully located in its proper position in the machine. The matter of locat- ing is of great importance, as the cone lines must con- verge to the center O, this being the point at the center of Fig. 4.—The Three Tools Used in the Planing of a Single Gear. Fig. 1. In using this gauge the arm of the machine is set to the pitch line angle of the gear to be cut. The vernier slide A is set at the reading corresponding to the pitch depth or addendum of the tooth to be cut. The gauge is June 23, 1904 mounted on the top of the arm, as shown in the figure, and is moved until the point of the vernier comes in contact with the outside edge B of the gear blank. The latter is then moved forward until the indicator points to zero, when it is in position to be cut. A set of 19 bevel gear formers are furnished with each machine, sufficient to cut any bevel gears having axes at right angles within the capacity of the machine. These formers give a 14%4-degree spherical involute tooth. To select the formers to be used for the cutting of any par- ticular gear it is only necessary to know the pitch line angle of the gear, when by referring to the table of the formers the corresponding one may be found. As shown in Fig. 4, the cutting tools are held in ad- justable boxes. Each tool, after being adjusted to its place in the machine, can be removed and replaced with- out further adjustment. The machine occupies a floor CONE DISTANCE GAUGE THE §RON AGE Fig. 5.—Showing the Use of the Cone Distance Gauge. space of 5 feet 2 inches by 4 feet 744 inches. It is driven through a four-step cone pulley, providing speeds of 492, 299, 193 and 117 revolutions per minute when the counter- shaft is running at a speed of 240 revolutions per min- ute. The indexing friction pulley is driven by a separate belt from the countershaft, and the oil pump by a sep- arate round belt also leading from the countershaft. —_—_++¢—___ The [lining Gulch at the World’s Fair. An area of 12 acres, occupying the ravine between Art Hill and the Plateau of States, known as the Mining Gulch, is one of the most interesting places to visit at the World’s Fair in St. Louis. A narrow gauge electric railroad, including in its equipment 15 mining cars, ex- tends through the heart of the Gulch, affording its pas- sengers an excellent view of the exhibits. There are 32 separate exhibits, most of which are now ready to receive visitors. The Metal Pavilion, 60 x 100 feet, joins the Mines Building, at the north end of the Gulch, in which are operating exhibits illustrating electrical metallurgy and the smelting and refining of copper, zinc, lead and other metals and alloys. The Model Foundry, 100 x 110 feet, con- nects with the Metal Pavilion and is equipped with cupolas for melting iron and steel, crucible furnaces for casting brass, &c., electric cranes, coke ovens, and other equip- ment for molding, finishing and polishing castings of all kinds. In one portion of the building a reception room THE IRON AGE. 3 and office has been arranged for the convenience of visit- ing foundrymen. The Cement Pavilion, 80 x 130 feet, illustrates the use of concrete in architectural constructions. The raw material and processes for the manufacture of Portland cement are illustrated by samples and photographs. The Art Pottery shows the complete processes of manufactur- ing art pottery from the raw material, including molding, modeling and decorating. Expert modeling by hand and the decorating of vases by an artist are features of spe- cial interest. Jardinieres, vases, pedestals and all kinds of ornamental pottery are exhibited; also beautiful sam- ples of French Siccard, Aurelian and other costly varieties of pottery. The Missouri fire brick exhibit shows the most modern methods in the manufacture of coal gas. A rear clinker bench furnace is being erected to show the processes used in gas works of moderate consumption. Drilling for oil, water and gas, and prospecting with the diamond drill, are shown in operation in several ex- hibits in the central portion of the Gulch. The De Laval steam turbine exhibit shows a 55 horse-power turbine, with a high pressure pump. This pump has the power to lift a stream of water to a hight of 850 feet. An actual placer trough is being installed and this pump will be used to illustrate placer mining. The New Mexico turquoise mine exhibit, joining the New Mexico State Building, is a reproduction of the Porterfield mines near Silver City, N. M. Above ground is a miner’s cabin, in which are exhibited specimens of cut and polished turquoise. Underground are 120 feet of tunnels, showing the turquoise as it is found in the rock, leads and veins, being reproduced. The exhibit also shows the method of extracting, cutting and polishing. The Mammoth Crystal Cave is an exact reproduction of the famous Crystal Cave in the Bad Land, near Dead- wood, N. D. It represents 2 miles of the great cave, and shows stalagmites and stalactites brought from the origi- nal cave. Specimens of the rocks found in the cave are shown. The Carizzo copper exhibit shows a primitive copper smelter operated by Mexican Indians, and illus- trates the old time mining methods used in Mexico and Western America. Eleven native artists are here who will make souvenirs from copper by unique methods. The feature of the exhibit of the Anthracite Coal Mine is a scenic railroad 1740 feet in length, which car- ries the passenger through the inmost recesses of the coal mine. Automatic figures show familiar coal mine scenes, including the breaker boys sorting slate, the miners at work and at rest, a blasting scene, the disaster following a short fuse, a flood disaster, a miner overcome by black damp, a hospital scene and the underground stable. for mine mules. The Arizona Mining Camp shows a mining camp of 25 years ago. In addition to the mining opera- tions, which are shown in every detail, the miner’s life in those days is carefully depicted. A large dancing pavilion, with platforms seating 2000, has been erected. Fifty “ Rattlers,” as the dancing girls are known, will be employed to delineate the various dances of the mines. The Missouri Lead and Zine Mining Plant shows how ore is separated from the rock. A typical mine as oper- ated in Southwest Missouri is being installed.. The Mis- souri Pavilion will be used as an exhibit room for Mis- souri ores, including lead, zinc, copper, coal and iron. The California Gold Mill will soon be complete, and will illustrate the methods of crushing the ore, extracting the gold and the amalgamation and concentration processes. The South Dakota Gold Reduction Plant will show the cyanide process of gold reduction. It is expected that from $12,000 to $16,000 worth of gold bullion will be pro- duced from the ore during the exposition. The United States Fuel Testing Camp is under the direction of the United States Geological Survey, and will show the most complete methods for testing on a large scale, the washing, briquetting, coking, gas making and steaming value of fuels. The report of these tests will be preserved and will constitute one of the permanent valuable documents produced by the exposition. ————9-- Asbestos, said to be of long fiber and good quality, has been discovered at Wvodstock, Vt. 4 THE IRON AGE. The Commercial Testing of Sheet Steel for Electrical Purposes.” BY C. E. SKINNER, PITTSBURGH. At the present time the rate of consumption of sheet steel in the manufacture of electrical apparatus in the United States alone is probably not less than 100,000,000 pounds per year. Assuming that 20 per cent. of this material is subjected to the conditions under which the so-called iron loss occurs, and that this loss is 144 watts per pound, we find we have a total loss of 30,000 kw., or 40,000 horse-power, an amount of power approaching the output of the largest single electrical power station in existence. At the rate of $25 per horse-power per year, this represents a money value of $1,000,000. This loss manifests itself as heat in the apparatus and there- fore serves no useful purpose, but forms one of the lim- itations to the output of the apparatus. The losses referred to are the hysteresis and eddy current losses, more commonly combined under the gen- eral term “iron loss.” 'This loss occurs in all magnetic material which is subjected to alternating magnetic stresses, the amount of the loss in any given material depending upon a number of conditions which will be referred to later. In general, the following must be taken into consid- eration in connection with the testing of sheet steel for electrical purposes : 1. The different greatly with the chemical composition, and with the physical condition due to the heat treatment and the mechanical working which. the steel has received. : 2. In most sheet steel the losses may be reduced to a relatively small value by annealing. 3. Nearly all steels, when the losses are reduced to a low value by annealing, are subject in a greater or less degree to aging, or increase in loss, due to the in- fluence of comparatively low temperatures. 4. The permeability of all steels which may be rolled commercially differs by a comparatively small amount, no matter what their condition with respect to anneal- ing. 5. In all commercial sheet steels the physical char- acteristics are well above the service requirements. The commercial testing of sheet steel for electrical purposes, therefore, resolves itself into: a. Chemical tests to determine the composition of the steel. b. Electrical tests to determine the losses in the steel after punching, before and after annealing. c. Electrical tests to determine whether aging, or in- crease in the losses, occurs when the steel is subjected to moderate temperatures. d. Tests for permeability. losses in sheet steels vary Chemical fests. Sheet steel used for electrical purposes is always a very mild steel, the carbon rarely being above 0.15 per cent.; the phosphorus, sulphur, silicon and manganese also usually being kept quite low. The composition may vary over comparatively wide limits and the steel still fulfill the necessary conditions as to quality. One or two complete analyses from each heat, and occasional check analyses from the sheet before and after annealing, are usually sufficient for the purpose. Electrical Tests. By far the most important tests are those to deter- mine the hystersis and eddy current losses, either sepa- rately or combined, the amount of these losses showing the electrical quality of the steel. Hysteresis Loss.—Hysteresis loss may be defined as the work done in reversing the magnetism in the steel, and it may be considered as the molecular friction due to the reversal of the magnetism, this friction manifesting itself as heat. The amount of hysteresis in a given steel varies with the composition, with the hardness, with the maximum induction at which the steel is worked, with the frequency of reversal of magnetism, with the wave form of the applied electromotive force used in the * Paper read before the American Society for Testing Mate- rials, Atlantic City, N. J.. June 16, 17, 18, 1904. June 23, 1904 test, and with the temperature of the test sample. The hysteresis loss is greater, as a rule, in hard steels than in soft steels. It varies approximately as the 1.6 power of the induction, and directly as the frequency. It is greater with a flat top or a sine wave electromotive force than with a peaked or a saw toothed wave. Several instruments have been devised for measuring the hysteresis loss in steel. The Ewing hysteresis meter is probably the best known and most used. With this instrument samples weighing only a few ounces are re- quired for the test, the measurements being made at a fixed induction and the instrument calibrated so as to read direct in some convenient unit. A complete de- scription of this instrument and the method of its work- ing may be found in the Journal of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (London), vol. 24, page 398. Other instruments employing the same general principle or en- tirely different methods are available for measuring hysteresis loss, but as these may all be found in the text books of the day their description will not be given here. Hysteresis measurements are valuable as showing the effects of annealing, but as it is very difficult in practice to separate the hysteresis loss from the eddy current and the total loss under working conditions is the point of vital importance to the user of the steel, measurements of hysteresis loss alone become, in general, of secondary importance. Eddy Current Loss.—By eddy current loss is meant the loss due to the circulation of electric currents in the sheets themselves and between the adjacent sheets, due to the steel acting as a conductor in an alternating magnetic field. The eddy current loss varies inversely as the ohmic resistance, directly as the square of the induction, and de- creases as the temperature increases. It is greater in thick sheets than in thin sheets, and is greater as the insulation between adjacent sheets is less. Tests for eddy current less alone are difficult to make, and, as far as the writer is aware, no instrument has been devised for this purpose... An approximation of the amount of eddy current loss in a given sample can be reached by meas- uring the total losses at different inductions and assuming that the eddy current loss varies as the square of the induction and the hysteresis loss as the 1.6 power of the induction. For special investigations the eddy current loss is sometimes calculated in this way, but commercially such tests are rarely considered. The measurement of the total losses under working conditions gives the best index of the electrical quality of the steel. As the total loss is made up of the com- bined hysteresis and eddy current losses, it is subject to all the variations of each as outlined above. Measurement of Total Losses.—In commercial ‘rou- tine testing, as followed out in the sheet steel testing de- partment of the Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Company, of which the writer has charge, two separate methods, which may be designated as the transformer method and the armature method, have been found very satisfactory. In both these methods of testing commercial conditions of operation have been aimed at, in order that the re- sults obtained might be checked with the tests made on similar materia] in commercial apparatus. The test sam- ples have also been so chosen that they will be available for commercial apparatus later, this effecting a consid- erable saving of material where many tests are made. The transformer method has been so called for the reason that the test sample consists of about 10 pounds of punchings of a standard transformer plate, these punchings being built up in the same manner as when used in the transformer, For convenience in handling and winding the test sample a block carrying the coil has been devised, this block being split and the wires of the coil continued between the two parts by means of mercury cups and contacts. By this means samples which are built up.or plates which are not split may be used and placed on the testing block with the winding in place in a few seconds. The routine tests on such samples consist in measuring the total losses at a given induction and frequency by means of a watt meter. For ‘special tests the induction, frequency, wave form and the pressure on the sample are varied as desired. loss, as June 23, 1904 This test is used regularly for judging the quality of each lot of steel as received, for judging the quality of the annealing of each furnace load of material and for determining the aging on all classes of material. From 2U to 50 tests per day are made on this apparatus by one operator. In making tests of this kind, the wave form of the applied voltage must be known and should prefer- ably be a sine wave; correction must be made for the copper loss in the magnetizing coil; correction must be made for the losses in the volt meter and watt meter, or these losses must be eliminated in the measurements ; the test samples must be at approximately uniform tempera- ture. The armature method is so called for the reason that the test sample consists of standard armature punchings, which are revolved in a standard form of dynamo field. The measurements are made by means of a spring dy- namometer. A testing Cevice of this kind is illustrated in Fig. 1, and a detail drawing of the dynamometer used for reading the losses is shown in Fig. 2. The general plan ef this apparatus is as follows: motor has a The direct current A small variable speed shaft extension on which the sample is mounted. speed is read in terms of voltage across the terminals ot a small magneto which is belted to the mvtor shaft and shown to the right in Fig. 1. The test sample is revolved in a field having specially wound field coils and adjustable pole pieces. The extension shaft on which the sample is mounted carries a spring dynamometer, with a special device for reading the deflection on this dy- namometer when the sample is in motion. The sleeve which carries the sample is provided with heavy flanges, and is adapted to be placed in an hydraulic press, so that any desired degree of pressure may be reached and maintained on the sample during the test. The Spring Dynamometer. The very unique spring dynamometer used in this device was designed by 8S. M. Kintner and deserves spe- cial notice. As will be seen from Fig. 2, the hollow shaft C contains a spiral spring, J, the inner end H being rigidly held to the shaft, while the outer end is fastened to the sleeve A, on which the sample is mounted. The shaft carries a pointer, E, and the sleeve a circular disk, D, approximately 8 inches in diameter, graduated on its beveled face in a uniform scale to smal! divisions. In close proximity to the scale is placed a spark gap, G, which is in series with the secondary of the induction coil S. The primary of the induction coil is connected to a contact device on the motor shaft, the break point being exactly in line with the pointer E. Leyden jars are used across the secondary of the induction coil to cut down THE IRON AGE. 5 the duration of the spark. The scale and the pointer are shielded from the light of the room, and a tube, F, is pro- vided for observing the scale and pointer at the exact angular position occupied when the spark passes across the air gap, illuminating the scale and pointer for an instant at each revolution of the shaft. By this means it is perfectly feasible to read to a high degree of accu- racy the deflection of the spring when the scale and pointer are both revolving at a speed of from 1000 to 2000 revolutions per minute. The bearing between the sleeve and shaft is nicely ground and well lubricated, so that there is practically no friction whatever when the test sample is in motion. The apparatus is calibrated by measuring the torque on the spring for an observed deflection. The loss in the sample is then measured in terms of torque and speed, reducing this, if necessary, to the ordinary units of watts per pound in the test sample. For comparative work this reduction is not necessary. By varying the field strength, the air gap, the form of pole pieces, the speed and the pressure on the sample, under a wide range of tests conditions are obtained. Sectional View of the Measuring Dynamometer for Atmature Losses. The windage may be measured by taking readings on the dynamometer with no current in the field. In special! tests complete curves are taken at varying speeds and field currents. In routine tests only a few points are taken. .For convenience in handling the samples, which to- gether with the sleeve weigh approximately 125 pounds, a special truck, shown in the foreground, Fig. 1, has been devised, by means of which the sample can be car- ried about and very quickly placed in position on the testing shaft with a minimum amount of labor. The above apparatus is used for determining the quality of armature steel as received and the quality of the annealing. It forms a most convenient method of studying the variation in armature losses due to varying conditions, such as pressure, insulation between sheets, variation in induction, variation in form of armature slot, &e. The actual induction may be measured by means of a special coil slipped on the armature punch- ing, the leads of which are brought out to a contact de- vice mounted on the special truck used for carrying the test samples. The device has been in constant use for several months, and has been found so satisfactory that . it may be confidently recommended to those desiring to make similar tests. Test for Aging. It was discovered about ten years ago that when sheet steel is annealed so as to have a low loss and then subjected to a temperature of from 80 to 100 degrees C. the loss sometimes increases, in some special cases this 6 THE IRON AGE. increase being as much as 100 per cent, in ten days. Fortunately such cases are rare, and ordinarily the in- crease is small or there is no change whatever in the loss. As the aging depends on the kind of material used and on the heat treatment to which it has been subjected, it becomes very desirable to make regular routine aging tests on all steel used for electrical purposes. This is all the more necessary as it is practically impossible to always get steel which has been subjected to identical treatments, These aging tests consist merely in repeating the measurements for total losses at certain definite periods of time after the initial tests, the sample being subjected in the interim to the aging temperature. Tests after tend days and after 30 days in the aging oven usually give the necessary data for judging the quality of the material. For purpose of investigation longer tests are frequently necessary, especially when the effect of tem- peratures lower than the regular aging temperature is desired. In the tests with which the author is familiar aging tests are frequently run for six months or a year, and some special tests have been in progress for ap- proximately ten years. The transformer samples are usually used for the aging tests, on account of there being less material to handle and the tests being more easily made than with the armature samples. The aging oven used for these tests consists of a large wooden box, covered on the outside with galva- nized iron and lined with asbestos. Steam coils are located at the bottom and ventilators are provided at the top and bottom, so that a slight circulation of air may be secured to equalize the temperature. Steam at 150 to 180 pounds pressure is used for heating. The oven is divided into two parts, one of which runs normally at a temperature of very approximately 95 degrees C. and the other at 60 to 65 degrees C. These temperatures are maintained year in and year out, and the oven usually contains from 100 to 200 samples which are undergoing the aging test. The temperatures mentioned were selected for the reason that the higher temperature is compara- tivly easy to maintain and gives comparatively rapid aging when a material is found which is subject to aging, and the lower temperature represents very ap- proximately the temperature at which ordinary electrical apparatus will run under normal working conditions Permeability Tests. As stated earlier in this paper, the permeability of sheet steels used for electrical purposes varies over com- paratively small limits, and the exact permeability of a particular sample is ordinarily not of great importance. It is not customary, therefore, to make routine tests for permeability. Occasional tests are advisable, however, and for this purpose a modified permeability meter, de- signed by Messrs. Lamb and Walker and described in the Journal of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (Lon- don), vol. 30, page 930, is generally used. This instru- ment, arranged for measuring solid material in the form of ‘round bars, is shown in Fig. 3. For measuring sheet steel the form of the coil and sample holders is changed so as to take rectangular sections, Strips of steel to be measured are sheared to the proper dimensions and clamped in blocks made for the purpose, the measure- ments being made exactly as in the case of solid ma- terial. With this instrument a complete permeability curve with hysteresis loop may be taken in a compara- tively short time. The accuracy is not as great as with the well-known ballistic method, but it is sufficiently ac- curate for the purpose and the tests are much easier to make. The intention of this paper has been to bripg before the society some methods of testing which arc in daily use, and which have been found very satisfactory for the purpose for which they are intended. They are not laboratory methods, as the term is usually understood, but they are capable of giving valuable results from an investigation standpoint, as the results obtained may be applied directly to commercial apparatas. It is evident that any work that can be done to reduce the losses in electrical steel and prevent aging when the losses are reduced will be of great value to all manufacturers and users of elec- trical apparatus. June 23, 1904 The Temperature and Pressure of Saturated Steam, The extensive use of high vacuums in connection with steam turbines has led to a more careful study of the temperature of saturated steam under very low pressure. Reference tables that are available answer well enough for certain stated pressures, but do not give intermediate figures nor a comprehensive idea of the very rapid fall in temperature as absolute zero of pressure is approached. The accompanying scale has been prepared by Louis R. Alberger with the intention of giving a clearer under- ABSOLUTE PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE OF STEAM. PRESSURE TEMPERATURE PRESSURE INCHES DEGREES POUNDS PER OF MERCURY FAHRENHEIT SQ. INCH ~ & | | i ae i = 4+ ee a 115 ——_ 35 ne od ean 4 6 — 5 - 4 3 2 A a a ee to 11 | | ||| |g ddd TTT HL aH | | ATH THULE T HT a = & TM yy | i Copyright, 1904, by the Alberger Condenser Company. standing of this very important matter. Few appreciate how rapid is the drop in temperature as the pressure falls below 2 pounds absolute. This fact accounts for the large capacity and high efficiency that is required of con- densing apparatus for high vacuum service. Now that higher degrees of vacuum or low absolute pressures are met with so frequently it seems advisable to express all degrees of vacuum in pounds or in inches of mercury above absolute pressure. Such a method re- moves all question of effect of altitude and insures the barometric correction which is too often assumed or dis- regarded. It will be found to be very much more con- venient and will no doubt in the future be adopted by the engineering profession. Cards of vest-pocket size, on which this scale is printed, are being sent to the trade by the Alberger Con- denser Company, 95 Liberty street, New York. June 23, 1904 The Steamship «‘ Augustus B. Wolvin.”’ All records for vessel cargoes on the great lakes have been broken by the arrival at Duluth, Tuesday, June 14, of the steamship “Augustus B. Wolvin” with 10,300 net tons of coal, and by her scheduled loading this week of 10,000 gross tons of iron ore at the docks of the Duluth & Iron Range Railway. The greatest coal cargo previ- ously carried into Lake Superior was on the steamship “I. L, Ellwood,” of the United States Steel Corporation, Buffalo to Duluth, 7688 net tons, and the largest cargo of iron ore was that of the “ Wm. Edenborn” of the same company, Escanaba to South Chicago, 8807 gross tons. In this latter cargo the ship was favored by a draft of 20 feet all the way, while the “ Wolvin” is restricted to about 18.5 feet by the channels out of Lake Superior and by the fact that this is her first trip, The“ Wolvin ” should carry about 11,000 gross tons with all conditions favor- able, and will doubtless make that mark this season. The career of this ship will be watched with great THE IRON AGE. 1 length of the ship, and by double bottom and sides carried clear up to the deck. The inner plating of this double skin forms the cargo hold, and in the “ Wolvin” this is a hopper shaped box 409 feet long, 24 feet wide at the floor, 43 feet wide at top and 24 feet high. Another com- plicating problem, absolutely new in this ship, is the fact that this vast inner box is without strut or stanchion or post its entire length, so that the decks are not directly connected with the floor. This is solved by the use of steel] built-up girder arches between the cargo hatches. The space between the outer and inner skins is utilized for water ballast, of which the ship will use from 4000 to 5000 tons when without cargo. This inner box is made hopper shaped and free from posts in order that all cargo may be handled by auto- inatic machines, It is expected the entire load of ore may be taken out by machines, thus absolutely eliminat- ing the human ore shoveler from the economy of the trade. It will, moreover, permit the handling of car- goes at a speed that was unknown until a year or two THE interest, not alone for her unrivaled size, but on account of the revolutionary method of construction employed, the freedom from manual labor planned for cargo de- livery and the net returns expected from the immense investment. Nothing could more closely typify the growth of marine traffic in the Northwest than this ship. She will move in her first cargo seven times the amount of ore taken down the lakes the initial year of naviga- tion, and as much as was carried the full season of 1856. In grain this ship will practically empty a 1,000,000-bushel elevator in two trips, or take away the product of a 40-000-acre farm in one. The ship is a great steel box, flat on the bottom and with sides vertical, so that a cross section is almost a rectangle, and is 560 feet long, 56 feet wide and 32 feet high. This box, which weighs with engines, &c., about 5000 tons, and with cargo about 17,000 tons, must be made sufficiently strong longitudinally to withstand the weav- ing and twisting strains induced by immersion in water, with a constantly unstable equilibrium that is at times much accentuated. Into the problem of strength a seri- ously complicating element is injected by the fact that one of the sides of the box has almost no strength at all, for the deck is pierced nearly its whole length by cargo hatches, each 33 feet long, at right angles to the ship, and with but 18 inches of deck space between them. The strength lost in this most important member is secured by extra steel keelson plates running the whole CARGO HOLD OF THE STEAMSHIP “ WOLVIN,” 409 FEET LONG. ago. It is expected that the entire cargo may be taken out in four or five hours. The most economical ship upon the lakes is not the vessel that makes the best time between ports, but that which, to use a Hibernicism, goes fastest when tied up; in other words, the ship whose terminal detentions are least. As compared with ocean traffic, the brief season, the runs of not more than 1000 miles and the numerous channels where speed is necessarily restricted, enforce this difference. So no attempt is made upon the Jakes to get more than speed in which coal consumption is normal, but every facility is provided to assist in rapid loading and discharge. In this the “ Wolvin” probably ex- cels. Wherever it has been possible to displace manual labor by steam or electricity on this ship the opportunity has been taken advantage of. All the steel hatch covers for the 33 cargo hatches are moved by steam engines; the two 4-ton anchors are handled by steam; capstans and windlasses are steam driven; the engines are steam governed; the steering is done by steam; fires are fed and ashes discharged by steam; ventilation is by steam. Much of this, of course, is common to all large ships. Like most lake ships, the “ Wolvin’s” propelling ma- chinery is located far astern, with the dining rooms and kitchens, messes and some of the quarters. Officers’ quar- ters and those for guests are placed at the bow. The ship’s driving machinery consists of one quadruple ver- on + THE tical marine engine, with cylinders 18.5, 28.5, 43.5 and 66 inches, with 48-inch stroke. These are designed for a horse-power of 2000 at a normal speed of 80 revolutions. In practice they will considerably exceed this power. The valves of the high, first and second intermediate cylinders are of piston type, placed forward and driven by Joy radial gear. The low pressure is fitted with a double ported slide valve operated by double bar Steven- son link motion. The boilers are two Babcock & Wilcox, and fired from the center athwartship. The pressure is 250 pounds and steam is superheated. Stoking is by the Duluth type mechanical stoker, with coal fed to hoppers above and traveling on the grates through the fire box, dumping at the rear into an ash pit. There are seven Blake ship pumps. All lighting is by electricity, and there are duplicate plants. This ship cost nearly $500,000, and has been under construction since about December 1 last at the Lorain yard of the American ‘Shipbuilding Company. The plan of her construction was initiated by A. B. Wolvin of Duluth, and she is owned by the Acme Steamship Com- pany, organized to operate her. Mr. Wolvin’s ability as a practical ship manager and financier was supplemented by that of J. C. Wallace, general manager of the ship- building company, who assisted greatly in working out the details of construction. Associated with Mr. Wolvin in the Acme Steamship Company are several prominent steel and vessel men of the Central West. Alloy Steels.* BY WILLIAM METCALF, PITTSBURGH. “ ’ The term “alloy steels” is used chiefly to distinguish steels containing influencing quantities of metals other than iron from the ordinary steel of commerce known as carbon steel, in which iron and carbon are the influencing elements for use, other elements being considered more as impurities than as useful ingredients. There are three kinds of carbon steel of universal use—namely, crucible, Bessemer and open hearth.: Their discussion does not be- long properly to our subject, but it may be observed that they contain small quantities of phosphorus, sulphur, sili- con and manganese, as well as oxygen, nitrogen and hy- drogen. Copper and arsenic are present sometimes, but not so generally or in such quantity as to require the careful analyses that are necessary for other ingredients. Certain small percentages of silicon and of manganese are often regarded as useful for special purposes, but not in such quantities as to justify their giving any specific name to the steel. From time to time we have put upon the market sili- con steel, phosphorus steel, chrome steel, aluminum steel, none of which have won any permanent place in com- merce. Of permanent alloy steels, we have nickel steel, manganese steel, self hardening or air hardening steel, and the latest, the new variety called high speed steel. Nickel Steel and Manganese Steel, Nickel steel, containing comparatively smail percent- ages of nickel, is used chiefiy for structural purposes, giving increased strength and toughness. It has been applied mostly to armor plates and gun parts, and lately it is being tested largely in rails to determine whether the increase in durability in difficult places will justify the greater cost over ordinary Bessemer or open hearth rails. Hadfield’s manganese steel is unique. Hard, tough, non- magnetic, nonhardening by quenching, nonannealable by any known method, practically unmachineable; it stands by itself, there is nothing to compare it to nor to test it by. It is finding large use for a number of special pur- poses, Self Hardening or Air Hardening Steel. This steel derives its name from the fact that when it is heated to an orange color and allowed to cool slowly in the air it becomes exceedingly hard. Some years ago is was known generally as Mushet steel, from the fact that its first development was due to the distinguished metallurgist whose name it bore. The usual composition ee sreeenneqetettniiah —_ = —— * Read before the American Society for Testing Materials, Atlantic City, N. J., June, 1904. IRON AGE. June 23, 1904 of this steel is about 2 to 3 per cent. manganese, 4 to 6 per cent. tungsten, and carbon high. The distinctive, persistent hardness of manganese steel indicates that it is manganese that gives this steel its so-called self hardening property. This was confirmed many years ago by Langley, who found that steel high in carbon, containing about 4 per’ cent. tungsten and minute quantities of manganese, had no self hardening property, and that the same steel remelted, so as to contain 3 per cent. manganese, became an excellent self hardening steel. Langley next showed by his beautiful emery wheel test that tungsten is the element that acts as a mordant to hold the carbon in solution at a high temperature, giv- ing this steel its most valuable property, that of remain- ing hard at a comparatively high temperature, so that a tool made of it could be used for cutting metals at a high speed, the tool continuing to do its work at a temperature, caused by the enormous friction of the high speed, that would soften completely and render useless the best car- bon steel tool that could be made. This very useful variety of steel has a large place in the markets, being used for many purposes where its peculiar properties give it great value. It is being rapidly overshadowed, however, by the latest and most surprising steel of all, known as High Speed Steel. Air hardening steel, as a rule, is not tough—tbat is to say, if it is made tough it will not be very hard. The edge of a tool will flow, and when it is so hard that it will not flow then it is so brittle that it will crumble easily, and this limits its usefulness. A few years ago, at the Bethlehem Steel Works, some person—whether he was a blunderer or a genius history does not say—revo- lutionized the whole machine business. Either by design or accident he heated a tool made of air hardening steel until it was nearly melted, and according to the tradi- tions and teachings of the ages the tool was ruined ut- terly. Again, either by accident or design, this “ ruined ” tool was put into service, and to the amazement of every- body it did an unheard of amount of work. This led to further experiments and tests, and the Taylor-White process was developed. This process consisted in heating a tool excessively hot and cooling it by successive stages, producing a tool that would cut at enormous speed for metal work. and take off chips that developed enough heat to blue them. The process was patented, and therefore it is not neces- sary to go into a long explanation here, especially as it has been superseded. The process seems to have been uncertain—that is to say. when a tool was handled just right it produced results that were wonderful, and when the manipulations were not exactly right the results were nil, The potentialities were so great that nearly all of the leading steel makers in the world attacked the problem, with the result that the present high speed steels are in no sense of the words air hardening. Manganese has been reduced from 3 to 4 per cent. to 0.30 per cent. to traces; tungsten has been increased to 10 to 20 per cent., instead of the usual 4 to 6 per cent., and the carbon is generally less than 1 per cent. There are about 50 different brands on the market, and of course each one is the best. Perhaps the analyses of two of the leading brands will be interesting, as fol- lows: Per cent. Per cent ES re tee 9.99 18.48 ED bc as Rae's sae be b heute at 2.83 2.90 ED. ei Se Seb abudaledaVers chev 0.69 0.78 PONOCRS 6 OK bAS ws dees s Olas 0.010 Not determined ios ao Camnbeswes? 5 <vest i 0.010 Not determined Pn dita aCadkemese> o'@% u¥a.) 6 0 Trace Not determined RR eer ee ee Trace 0.33 Another contains the following: Per cent. Per cent. Molybdenum ......... 9.65 yl ee 0.014 CR. vc Be chous peas MES Gasses. ot'sss 0.046 Cariide eves sd Vii 0.66 Manganese .......... 0.22 In one sense, it is chaos. All traditions as to heat- ing are completely reversed, and no one really knows what is the best. One brand is famous for its excellence in one kind of work, another in another kind, no one yet seeming to cover all of the ground. n n ed ed nt. 14 46 2 ut- vs ice ne June 23, 1g04 THE Machine Shop Practice Kevolutionized. One thing is certain, the machine business is revolu- tionized. These tools have crowded ordinary lathes, planers, drills, &c.,